Creating A Low Maintenance Garden With Railway Sleepers
August 11, 2010 by johnmce
We all want an attractive outdoor space, but not all of us can find time to making that happen. Working on a garden can be tough, and knowledge about plants and landscaping can be tricky to acquire. Using the right plants and techniques, it can be easy to create a low-maintenance garden, saving time and money.
It's important to select the right plants, and ensuring that they are precisely what you are looking for. A common error made my many is to select plants which look right when they are planted, then quickly outgrow the allocated space costing you time in maintenance. Find out how large a plan will grow, and whether the soil type in your garden is well suited to them.
Spacing your plants is important, so find out the plant's estimated mature width and ensure that at least that distance is free around it. If they are slow-growing you may want to space them slightly closer together, and this is also a good way of keeping weeds out of your garden.
When preparing a flower bed, remove all weeds including roots, or they will return in no time. Some gardeners use woven fabric cloths to reduce weeds, but often this will simply mean the weed will be forced to share space with your desired plant.
Even if you buy the most low maintenance plants, water and fertiliser are still essential. Drip-irrigation is a good way of letting the garden take care of itself, but does itself require quite a lot of setup and maintenance to ensure the plants aren't drying out. Drip irrigation also tends to reduce weed growth, since the water goes straight underground.
For landscaping, railway sleepers are becoming a popular way of levelling out uneven surfaces on a small budget. Landscaping properly can be quite expensive but erecting sturdy railway sleepers can add functionality to an otherwise undulating garden topography, perfect for barbecues, soaking up the sun or even working from home.
Railway sleepers are cheap and versatile, being used for landscaping as well as creating raised flowerbeds and as a way of retaining soil in a particular location when there is a severe level change. They have also been used to create stepping stones, steps, paving, gateposts and sheds.
Most railway sleepers are made from timber, and so require some maintenance. They are laid on gravel, to avoid constant contact with moist ground. Depending on the type of wood they are made from, railway sleepers can be hard to transport because they are large and cumbersome, but tend to be easier than length landscaping work which can take days. They demand minimal care and attention and can be cleaned with warm water and detergent. Railway sleepers and drip irrigation systems are a great way of creating a low maintenance garden.
